When this engineer encountered Silver Fox’s labels, he was impressed with what we had to say and was even more impressed with all the independent testing – but his observation struck a chord with our team. He said: “That’s all well and good but they look the same as the ones I’m using. So what chances have they of performing any differently?”

In our experience, labels from different manufacturers are – well – different and perform accordingly. It’s fair to say that we were all stunned when we set a match to some LS0H cable labels from one of our significant competitors and found that, after just ten seconds, they started to burn vigorously, emitting burning particles and black smoke.

Material or finished product testing?

Just because one manufacturer’s label looks the same as another’s, it doesn’t mean they are the same. Read datasheets carefully – and compare. Some tests call for material only; for example, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) stipulates that, in its tests of smoke and toxicity, only the material should be tested. On the other hand, other tests do allow for the final printed label to be tested. But that does not mean that even if a manufacturer tests their labels in these test that they will test any more than just the label material. For us, it makes clear sense for us to test the final printed label wherever possible. Equally, it makes clear sense for you to ask the questions and look for satisfactory answers.

Watch out for specification sheets that refer to tests that aren’t relevant to the application or seem a bit ‘strange’. This could mean that the manufacturer/supplier is relying on test results from the base material supplier and not actually testing the finished product themselves. As a rule of thumb, ask for copies of the actual test reports carried out by the label manufacturers. Use that ‘damp meter’ and probe a little. It could save you a lot of time, frustration, inconvenience and even cost later down the track.

For more information or a sample of our Fox-Flo® LS0H tie on Cable Labels contact our Team sales@silverfox.co.uk